PSNA Newsletter Special - November 5, 2020

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5 November 2020

Newsletter Special



PSNA in the News!

Kia ora PSNA Supporter

PSNA National Chair John Minto has this opinion piece printed in the Dompost and Christchurch Press this morning:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/123280336/we-need-new-directions-in-foreign-affairs-and-defence-after-nz-first-indifference
 
Two things you can do to help turn the tide towards Palestine human rights:
 
Please:

  1. SPREAD this link to family and friends via email and social media.

  2. WRITE A LETTER to the Press ( letters@press.co.nz )or Dompost ( letters@dompost.co.nz )NOW supporting a change in direction for government policy on Palestine (and respond to any letters which attack John’s opinion piece)

Here is the text of the opinion piece:

We need new directions from ministers

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Appointing Nanaia Mahuta as Foreign Minister and Peeni Henare in Defence is a welcome relief and brings fresh pairs of eyes to long-neglected issues.

In the previous term of government several important foreign policy issues took a back seat after Labour contracted out Foreign Affairs and Defence to New Zealand First. Winston Peters as Foreign Minister and Ron Mark as Defence Minister were left to run their portfolios unchallenged and Palestine, West Papua and Western Sahara were the biggest losers.

Winston Peters “marked time” on the Middle East. He stayed silent when Israeli soldiers shot dead hundreds of unarmed Palestinian protestors – many of them children – in the Great March of Return protests in Gaza. He refused to speak out against Israel’s racist Nation State law and only managed some tepid opposition to TRUMP/Israeli plans to annex vast areas of the Occupied Palestinian Territories earlier this year.

Ironically the previous National-led government showed stronger support for Palestine when it co-sponsored UN Security Council resolution 2334 which targeted illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. ( https://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/SRES2334-2016.pdf )

In the first 100 days of the new government New Zealand should finally join the right side of history and the majority of humanity by recognising the State of Palestine.

Secondly New Zealand should make its relations with Israel conditional on Israeli compliance with international law. This means insisting Israel end its brutal military occupation of Palestinian territories, revoke racist laws which discriminate against Palestinian Israelis and allow the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

It’s gone on too long. There is no more time for pious words.

Until Israel complies with international law New Zealand must suspend our bilateral agreements with Israel and prohibit the importation of Israeli products. We should also instruct the Superannuation Fund and ACC to disinvest from companies involved with Israel’s illegal settlements.

West Papuans have also been betrayed by New Zealand under Winston Peters. These are our close Pacific neighbours living under particularly cruel Indonesian military rule. We have stood by, turning a blind eye, just as we previously betrayed the people of East Timor. Nanaia Mahuta is well placed to work with other Pacific countries in bringing pressure to liberate West Papua.

Meanwhile the people of Western Sahara continue to be exploited by New Zealand. The Saharawi people of the area live under Moroccan occupation while their phosphate deposits are mined for sale overseas. And which is the last country in the world to import phosphate fertiliser stolen from the people of Western Sahara? – New Zealand! A shameful embarrassment which should be ended in the first 100 days.

In Defence it has been a similar story under New Zealand First. Minister of Defence Ron Mark visited Israel in January last year and the outcome was deeply embarrassing.

Not only did Mark meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and give an awful display of obsequiousness on New Zealand’s behalf but he visited Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, to check out the latest military equipment which has been “battle-tested” on Palestinians.

Ron Mark was apparently unaware that in 2012 the New Zealand Superfund withdrew its investments from Elbit Systems because the company was helping build the Israeli “security” wall (widely dubbed the “apartheid” wall) which the International Court of Justice declared illegal.

However, despite the stance taken by the Superfund and the ACC the Ministry of Defence has continued to purchase military equipment from Elbit Systems.

Ron Mark and the Defence Force were oblivious to any moral issues. Mark simply said the purchase of “niche” military equipment from Elbit Systems overrode other concerns.

New Zealand defence and foreign policy must have an ethical and moral basis which aligns with international law and United Nations resolutions.

We will be looking to our new ministers, Nanaia Mahuta and Peeni Henare, to do us proud where their predecessors failed.

ENDS

Previous Newsletters

All of our previous Newsletters can be found here - https://www.psna.nz/news

Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign?

We will need some serious money to make our campaign as effective as possible. For example, we will need somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000 to bring speakers to New Zealand over the next year and organise large public meetings to help spread the message.

You can help. Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign? In other words, can you afford to make an automatic payment of $5 per month to support the Palestinian struggle? (If you can afford more that would be great!)

Our account details are:

  • Account name: Palestine Solidarity Networt

  • Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00

Or Pay Pal account: admin@palestinesolidaritynz.net

We are happy to provide a receipt upon request (however, we are not a registered charity so this is not tax-deductible)

More ways you can get involved

  • Forward this Newsletter – If you know people who may be interested in this movement, please forward this Newsletter to them.

  • Join in local activities in your area monthly Rallies - In Auckland at 2.00 pm on the first Saturday of every month. Please consider doing the same in your community. Contact Secretary@PSNA.nz if you would like to know where and how to get Flags and Banners

  • Help set up a Students for Justice in Palestine groups on your campus

  • Tell Your MP your opinions on Divestment and Sanctions of Israel.

  • Write Letters to Newspapers – Call Talkback Radio

  • Keep in touch with the campaign on social media

o        NZ Palestine Solidarity Network website: https://www.PSNA.nz

o        NZ Palestine Solidarity Network Facebook:  www.facebook.com/groups/671376706283605/

o        NZ Palestine Solidarity Network email: Secretary@PSNA.nz

  •  The Palestine Human Rights Campaign produces the In Occupied Palestine newsletter. It is a regular daily newsletter on the daily situation in Palestine, compiled by Leslie Bravery and emailed to subscribers. If you would also like to become a subscriber, please contact Leslie at “lesliebravery @ icloud .com” (remove the spaces to use as an email address) for further information.

  •  Keep Updated on our Facebook pages and websites (listed below)

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